James steele



(No Model.)

J. STEELE.

'' SPRING GEAR FQRVEHIOLES.

.No. 379,999 Patented Mar; 27, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT; OFF C JAMES STEELE, OF GUELPH, ONTARIO, CANADA.

SPRING-GEAR FOR VEHlCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,999, dated. March27, 1888.

Application filed May 5, 1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES STEELE, of the city of Guelph, in the countyof Wellington, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, manufacturer, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Gear forVehicles, of which the following is a specification. The object of theinvention is to produce a spring-gear which will be strong and durableand at the same time afiord a very easy seat for the body of thevehicle. By the use of this gear the brace bars and reach ordinarilyadopted may .be dispensed with and the vehicle may be turned verysharply without risk of upsetting.

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my gear, which is adapted to carrythe body of the vehicle. Fig. 2 is a detail showing support spring,8tc., when the vehiclev is unloaded. Fig. 3 is a detail showing supportspring,

&c., when the vehicle is loaded.

In the drawingslike letters of reference indicate similar parts in thedifferent figures.

In Fig. 1, A and B are the front and rear axles. O is a spring extendingbetween the front and rear axlesand attached thereto in the ordinarymanner, forming a spring-reach and carrying asaddle, D, connectedtherewith in the middle by the clips d, the supports E and F beingbolted to the saddle, as shown. G are springs attached to the head-blockP and carry the front support, E, the rear ends of which springs areconnected by the bolts to the U-shaped castings I, which are bolted tothe rear support, F, as indicated. H are springs attached to the rearaxle in the usual manner and carrying the rear support, F, in a modesimilar to that in which the front support, E, is carried by the springsGand by asimilar device, as hereinafter fully explained. The front endsof these springs G are attached by the bolts k to the U-shaped castingsK, which are bolted to the front support, E, as indicated in thedrawings.

In Fig. 2, L is a bolt having an enlarged square head which rests on theplate 2', and which passes through the spring G, of which a smallportion only is shown, and is secured thereto by a nut, 0. m are metalstrips placed 50 transversely to the springs and projecting beyond thesides thereof and pierced at each of Serial No. 237,290. (No model.)

their ends for the bolt n, which secures them to the upper plate, '1',at the projections on its four corners,'thus clamping the plate t to thespring. The bolt Lhas lips M projecting fromopposite sides of theenlarged head, the upper part of the bolt-head and the lower sides ofthe lips being slightly curved and adapted to allow for the rockingmotion of the springs; The lips M rest on the plate N, which is slottedin the center, and which is screwed from underneath to the support; Thelower part of the support adjoining the bolt-heads is recessed, as-shown at 0,- to allow forthe play of the bolt-head. In this figure .thespring is represented as unloaded. I Fig. 3 represents the same deviceas shown in Fig. 2; but in this instance the spring is loaded, andillustrates,in connection withFig. 2, the play of the bolt'L when thevehicle is in a loaded and unloaded condition. Thereare four of thesedevices connected to the springs G and H and adapted to carry the frontand rear supports, E and F. The front support, E, is thus upheld on itscenter by the saddle D, to which it is securely bolted, and this saddlerests on and is attached to the spring-reach 0. Each end of this frontsupport, E, is. held in position on the springs G by the device shown inFigs. 2 and 3, hereinbefore fully described. The springs H, which rundiagonally forward from the rear axle, are attached to the frontsupport, E, near the center thereof, and on either side of the saddle bythe bolts k and U-shaped castings K, which are bolted to said support E.The rear support, F, is also supported in its center by the saddle D,being bolted thereto in a manner similar to the front support, E, andalso rests at each end thereof on the springs H, being 0 attachedthereto by means of the device shown in Figs. 2 and 3, whichis carriedby thesprings H. It is also held at its outermost ends by the springs G,which are attached by the bolts 7" to the U shaped castings I, bolted tothis rear support.

The body of the vehicle rests on and is attached to the front and rearsupports, Eand F, which form strong and durable bearings, and

ing thesprings renders the motion of the body of the vehicle very easy,besides rendering it posthe peculiar method of constructing andattachloo sible to dispense with the reach and bra ce-bars of ordinaryconstruction without unduly weakening the vehicle, and enabling thefront Wheels to move freely under the body when making a sharp turnwithout risk of upsetting. These supports and the saddle, which areconnected with the springs, are made of wood.

What I claim as my invention is v 1. In combination with the axles A andB, the spring-reach O, suitably attached to said axles and carrying thesaddle D, rigidly attached to said reach, together with the front andrear supports, E and F, bolted on said saddle, substantially asdescribed, and for the p urpose specified.

2. The springs G, in combination with the headblock P and the rearsupport, F, the said spring beings pierced to receive the bolt L, whichis secured thereto, the strips m, placed undersaid springsandboltedtotheupperplate, 13, by the bolts n, and the slotted plate N, fixed to thelower side of the front support, E,which is recessed at O to allow forthe movement of the beveled head of the bolt L, which has curved lips M,resting on the slotted plate N, substantially as described.

3. The springs H, in combination with the axle B and front support, E,the said springs being pierced to receive the bolt L, which is securedthereto, the strips m,placed under said springs and bolted to the upperplate, i, by the bolts n, and the slotted plate N, fixed to: the lowerside oi the rear support, F, which is recessed at O to allow for themovement of the beveled head of the bolt L, which has curved lips M,resting on the slotted plate N, substantially as described.

4. The axles A and B and spring-reach O, carrying the saddle D, rigidlyattached thereto, the rear support, F, bolted to the saddle and suitablyattached to the springs G, which are also connected with the head-blockP, the said springs G being pierced to receive the bolts L,

secured thereto, the strips m, bolted to the upper plates, i, by thebolts n, and the slotted plates N, fixed to the lower side of thefrontsup- E, which is bolted to the saddle D, the rear support, F, being alsocarried by the springs H, substantially as specified.

5. The axles A and B and spring-reach G, carrying the saddle D, rigidlyattached thereto, and the rear support, F, bolted to the saddle andsuitably attached to the springs G, which are also connected with thehead-b1ock'P, the said springs G carrying, as specified, the frontsupport, E, which is bolted to the saddle, in combination with thesprings H, which have bearings on the front support, E, and rear axle,B, and are pierced to receive the bolts L, secured thereto, the stripsm, bolted to the upper plates, 1', by the bolts n, and the slottedplates N, fixed to the lower side of the rear support, F, which isrecessed at O, the bolts L having lips M, which rest on the slottedplates N, substantially as specified.

6. The combination ofthe axles A and B, the spring 0, the saddle D,thefrontand rear supports, E and F, and the head-block P, affordingbearings for the springs G, which are pivotally attached to the rearsupport, F, and soconnected with the front support, E, as to permit offlexure, together with the springs H, pivotally attached to the rearaxle, B, and the front support, E, and so connected with the rearsupport, F, as to permit of flexure, substantially as set forth.

Guelph, April 13, 1887.

J AMES STEELE.

In presence of JOHN MILIKEN, O. KLOEPFER.

